Yellow Stingray

The yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis), is also sometimes called the yellow spotted stingray. Their range stretches out from North Carolina, to Northern South America. They have an interesting feeding technique. They will lift their front half up so they resemble a cave, then their prey goes right to them thinking that the stingray is a cave.

Mote Intern Camping Trip

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin with Calf

Bottlenose Dolphin

Gopher Tortoise

Last weekend, I and eight other interns from the Mote went camping. We went on a dolphin boat and we got to help identify dolphins. We also went to Rookery Bay and to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. We saw lots of animals, including a huge alligator and a friendly praying mantis.

Bottlenose Dolphins

Bottlenose Dolphin

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Frigate Birds

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Snorkling Pictures

Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)

Sergeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

Stone Crab (Menippe mercenaria)

A couple of weeks ago, I went snorkeling for the first time off a jetty on Lido. I saw lots of marine animals. These are a few of the better pictures that I took that day.
(you can click on the photos to enlarge.)

Sergeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)

Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)

Scaled Sardine (Harengula jaguana)

Lesser Butterfly Ray (Gymnura micrura)

Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides)

Spongy Decorator Crab

The spongy decorator crab (Marcocoeloma trispinosum), is a species of decorator crab. They will put sponges, corals, and other things on themselves to camouflage. The one in the picture has covered himself with mushroom polyps. They stick the camouflage of choice on themselves like Velcro. They have little hook life hairs on their body which helps attach things to them. They will even change what they have on them depending on what is in their environment.

Strate Bubbles

Strate bubbles (Bulla striata) are also called common Atlantic bubbles. Bubbles are gastropods. Bubbles are related to sea hares and nudibranchs. When there foot and mantle are extended, they can completely cover their shell. Unlike most gastropods, they don't have eye stalks; instead their eyes are directly on their head.

Airport Art Contest

Recently, I have been working on a picture for the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport art contest. I have my picture finished, but I could use some ideas on the background. If you have any ideas, please leave a comment on this post. Thanks!
Update- I have sent in my picture with a background. I decided on Blue with green streaks going left to right.

Stingrays, Stingrays, and More Stingrays!

Stingray Under The Sand

 Recently at Lido, there have been a lot of stingrays in the water. They're usually Atlantic stingrays, but we have also seen devil rays again in the water. The first stingray picture is covered with sand which makes it hard to identify. There has also been lots of fish washing up on shore. The ones that I have seen include: lots of cowfish, a grouper, a butterfly ray, and a toadfish. They have been becoming stranded more frequently than usual, probably because of all the recent storms.

Two Atlantic Stingrays